Yep, you heard me right, but that's not all. All authors participating in this month's event have also generously donated a Kindle copy of one of their books so you'll already have some great stories to read when you curl up with your new Kindle!! To enter, just complete all the easy entries on the Rafflecopter on the bottom of this page. Today and all other days that aren't spoken for, I'll be taking the reins to tell you about some things I'm thankful for :
Staying Healthy
Today's message of thanks is pretty simple. Not only did I lose 25 pounds since January (added back a couple more for winter padding LOL), but I've remained relatively steady when it comes to fighting depression. Oh sure, there are still bad days now and then, but when I stay on track with my medication and keep the stress levels down, it's better. That means I get more work done with less griping, and I can keep up with my busy family. To see where I've come from since my diagnosis, here's an article I wrote about it back in January:
The Lie
"I'm
fine."
Those two words comprise
the world's most common lie. Especially for someone with depression.
Someone like me.
Over the last decade or
so, I've mastered the happy face. It comes in handy when you're a mom of three,
expected to volunteer for class parties and fundraising events. Handier still
when you must join your husband at company functions. No one wants to mingle
with a woman who's slumped over and crying in the corner.
What I didn't realize
after having my first child is that I probably had post-partum depression. I
wish I hadseen the signs and sought help back then, but I thought all the
stress and tears were just a result of sleep deprivation and worrying about my
firstborn. If I'd have sought help early on, I might have been better able to
handle my mom's diagnosis of terminal lung cancer that same year and her death
a mere 10 months later.
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I was a wreck when she
died. A young first-time mother suddenly without her mother
there for support and guidance. Yet over the course of the next decade, I
toughed it out, had two more kids and started a writing career.
By that time, I had
gotten incredibly good at answering "Hi, how are you?" with "I'm
fine" when in fact, I was anything but fine inside. The worst thing was, I
became a total Cleopatra, Queen of Denial. It told myself it's just
temporary. You can pull yourself out of it. I managed to keep my family
going, write two books, blog and attend book signings while hiding behind that
fake smile and that lie: "I'm fine."
The inner dialogue grew
more ugly over time. You're just being lazy, lying there in bed trying
to avoid your responsibilities. You could get up and be normal if you wanted
to. But you don't want to, do you? You know how pathetic and worthless you are,
so why bother? Nobody wants you around anyway.
Depression put on a
great act, but like all charades, the act was eventually identified about a
year and a half ago. At the urging of my husband and my own realization that
lying in bed half the day crying for no good reason is NOT normal, I sought
help. Despite my fears that my doctor would just laugh at me and say it was
normal for a mom of my age to feel like this, she totally understood and wrote
me a low-dose depression medication. She also recommended a counselor.
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Scared as I was to
commit to any sort of chemical intervention or to spill my troubles on a
therapist's couch, I took her advice. Within a month of taking the medication,
I felt surprisingly better. I was able to think clearly for the first time in a
long time. I was able to start setting goals again and work toward completing
them without the infernal self-hatred telling me I couldn't succeed at
anything.
And to spite it all, I finished a book that had been buried under
depression for too long. That third book in my Tallenmere series, Hearts in Exile, was published this June. I've written two
children's books that are with an agent who's working hard to find a publisher
for them. I won NaNoWriMo by writing 50,000 words on another novel I'd barely
started a couple years ago. That one, a historical romance, will be finished
this coming year, and if I play my cards right, I'll finish the fourth
Tallenmere series book too. Besides the writing, I'll be starting a job as an
editor atFirst Page Last Page and will probably be a class mentor again
in the free six- week online writing course, F2K (at Writers Village
University).
The road isn't smooth
just yet. I've had to work with my doctor to find the right medication and
dosage for me. I still have to be careful to not bite off more than I can chew.
Learning my depression triggers, like taking on too many responsibilities at
once, is very important in preventing the setbacks.
I'm thankful to Amy for
inviting me to share my experience here. It feels good to open up about it
among people who understand. I hope our stories will inspire others who are
dealing with mental illnesses to seek help and know that they are not alone.
There IS a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes we just need a little help
in getting there.
I'm thankful for my family and friends like all of you who encourage my writing as well as all the other blessings in my life!
ReplyDeleteI remembered reading about this in January. Yes, your health is a thing to be thankful for!
ReplyDelete